Mini Lesson 2: The Flat Beer in Downtown Rio
In Brazil, choca means a beer that has gone flat, a copo americano is the classic small glass used in every bar, and garçom means waiter. These everyday words come up whenever you order a drink in a Brazilian bar.
A Flat Beer in Downtown Rio
After a day's work, Josh and I stopped at a bar in downtown Rio for a beer. As soon as we sat down, we called the garçom over and ordered:
-Fala, amigão! Tudo bem? Traz uma Brahma de 600 por favor!
The garçom brought the bottle out ice cold, just how we like it, and we poured it into the classic copo americano. Then came the letdown on the first sip: the beer was choca.
Frustrated, we put our hands up, and as soon as the garçom clocked us, we asked for the bill:
-A conta, Por favor!
Had you heard that word before? Choca?
🍺 Today's vocabulary
- Garçom = Waiter
- Copo americano = the classic Brazilian glass tumbler
- Choca = Flat, no fizz
📍 Little fact
We only use "choca" for beer. For any other fizzy drink, we say it's "sem gás", meaning no fizz. Example: "The beer is choca and the Coca-Cola is sem gás."
Want to Learn Portuguese?
I'm Samar, I'm Brazilian! I teach Brazilian Portuguese, one-on-one or in small groups, for anyone who actually wants to learn properly. Every now and then I post mini lessons on everyday situations or special dates, like Brazil's Independence Day. If you're interested in learning, I have availability
Samar Rawlinson
Samar is a Brazilian Portuguese teacher from Rio de Janeiro. She teaches real, spoken Portuguese online to English speakers in the UK, USA and Australia.
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